It's October 2012, and Seattle Sounds Like...

Our take on every new local release.

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*A Dark Horse, A Dark Horse (out now, self-released, adarkhorse.bandcamp.com): James Parker and Hugh Rodgers' pretty, folksy indie rock makes you wonder if the ghost of Elliott Smith has chosen to haunt them in Seattle. Creating a sound that is compelling, dense, and dreamy, A Dark Horse prove themselves to be more than commercial-radio-ready. MA'CHELL DUMA LAVASSAR

*Avatar Young Blaze, Soviet Goonion (out now, self-released, avyoungblaze.com): The latest AYB offering packs some high-grade rhymes, as one would expect, though it's not his strongest front-to-back collection. You'll find some of his cleverest lines sprinkled throughout, but the most interesting moments come when he pushes himself to rap abstractly over left-field beats (as on "Fast Life Experts"), or when he's at his most unapologetic ("Darko," "The Scumbag Anthem"). TODD HAMM

The Badlands, The Badlands (out now, Shit Starter Records, reverbnation.com/thebadlandsusa): Straightforward party punk meant for chugging PBR in dives. Frontwoman Ginnie Ko's low growl recalls Joan Jett after several packs of cigarettes. The band recently signed with Oakland's Shit Starter Records, which is releasing this EP on blue 7-inch vinyl. JULIA MULLEN GORDON

Jim Basnight, Introducing Jim Basnight (out now, Precedent Records, jimbasnight.com): It's odd that Basnight is only now introducing himself, because his band has been around for more than two decades, playing multidate summer runs at Roche Harbor Resort like they're the Allman Brothers at the Beacon Theatre. At his best, Basnight is a poor man's Mick Jagger, which is still pretty rich. MIKE SEELY

Billy the Fridge, Old Fashioned (out now, self-released, billythefridge.bandcamp.com): It's easy to write off the new project from this jokey Internet battle-rap star, competitive eater, and occasional amateur wrestler as simple novelty—so before I do, I will inform you that he was able to finagle beats by Jake One, Sabzi, MTK, and Mack Formway for the project, and that novelty can be entertaining at least once. TH (Tues., Oct. 9, Nectar)

The Bitter Roots, Chiaroscuro (10/9, Water Works Hill Recording Co., bitterrootsmusic.com): The Bitter Roots are nothing if not versatile. Stylistically, their sprawling Chiaroscuro goes from Alice in Chains to moe and back. If their lyrics and vocals were as sharp as their musicianship and creative chutzpah, they'd be a force to reckon with. MS (Sat., Oct. 13, Cafe Venus/Mars Bar)

The Blanket Truth, Urban Wildlife (out now, self-released, blankettruth.bandcamp.com): Just how cutesy are the cutesy pop songs on Urban Wildlife? The liner notes differentiate between soprano and baritone ukelele. They include whistling, handclaps, beatboxing, and shouted group backup vocals. It's the most aggressively twee album you'll hear all year. ANDREW GOSPE

Cascadia '10, "The Secret Is Out" (out now, self-released, cascadia10.bandcamp.com): The spicy Afrobeat from this Seattle nine-piece sounds like it could have fallen right off a Budos Band album—but hey, Budos Band's albums are fun to listen to. TH (Fri., Nov. 9, Showbox at the Market)

Dead Winter Carpenters, Ain't It Strange (10/19, self-released, deadwintercarpenters.com): Straddling the awkward line between "instant hit" and "I never want to hear this again." Instrumentally, "East on 8" and "Cabin Fever" are exhilarating, but the excessively countrified vocals detract from the experience. JOE WILLIAMS (Fri., Oct. 19, Nectar)

Everything Points Up, 2.0 (out now, self-released, everythingpointsup.bandcamp.com): Formed by two members of power-pop group The Glass Notes, 2.0 plays like a collective of outtakes that were "too electronic" for their primary band—spry guitar-pop songs augmented with synthesizer and drum machines. AG

Zach Fleury, Be Still, Neverland, Egypt (out now, self-released, myspace.com/zachfleurymusic): This frequent session player (he's worked with Macklemore, Allen Stone, and Noah Gundersen, among others) strikes out on his own—showing he's more than just a hired hand—and steps out on songs like "Neverland, Egypt," which showcases his smooth vocals and skilled guitar picking. JMG

Benjamin Gibbard, Former Lives (10/16, Barsuk, benjamingibbard.com): Based on the title alone, it's tempting to read Gibbard's solo effort in the context of last year's well-publicized divorce from Zooey Deschanel. But instead, Former Lives strikes an optimistic tone, anthologizing (and celebrating) the past through the prism of Gibbard's distinctive songwriting. AG (Fri., Nov. 16, Showbox at the Market)

The Good Hurt, You Are Here (out now, self-released, music.goodhurtband.com): These hooky, vocal harmony–laden pop-rock songs often err toward the saccharine (lyrics-wise, the chorus of "Half Hearted" recalls that one song from the '90s about putting a heart in a blender), but frontman James Lanman does boast some fundamentally sound songwriting abilities and a radio-ready voice. AG (Fri., Oct. 5, The Crocodile)

The Great Um, What the People Want (10/15, self-released, thegreatum.com): This Seattle trio play KEXP-style indie rock with clean guitar tones and an affinity for '60s British pop like the Kinks and indie icons like Pavement. Things are mostly subdued, but the band lets loose on "Sweet Baby K," which has a White Stripes vibe thanks to its big riffs and bluesy progression. DL (Thurs., Oct. 18, Sunset Tavern)

Coty Hogue, When We Get to Shore: Live at Empty Sea Studios (out now, Hearth Music, cotyhogue.com): On this live CD, banjo-picker and Appalachia expert Coty Hogue shares her love of traditional folk songs ("Handsome Molly," "Wedding Dress") and a whimsical take on modern classics (Springsteen's "I'm on Fire," Fleetwood Mac's "Second Hand News") in a lusty, ringing alto. GWENDOLYN ELLIOTT

*Jackrabbit, A Better Place (out now, self-released, jackrabbit.bandcamp.com): Spun into an intricate web of bluegrass, Americana, and rock, A Better Place is as transparent as it is honest. With beautiful harmonies and bouncing instrumentation, "Fathers and Sons" is perfect after a stressful day of anything. JW (Thurs., Oct. 25, Tractor Tavern)

*Legendary Oaks, These Narrow Bars of Light (out now, self-released, legendaryoaks.bandcamp.com): Rootsy without falling prey to Northwest folkies' tendency to hump a bale of hay, Legendary Oaks' superb sophomore effort is loose and sunny, evocative of the Byrds, only on way less acid. MS (Thurs., Oct. 18, Barboza)

Whitney Lyman, Wandering, Wondering (out now, self-released, whitneylyman.com): This multi-instrumentalist's gentle voice is the anchor of her 10-song release, which comprises mostly baroque pop ballads. Drums are sparse, but there's plenty of piano, banjo, strings, and even horns, all of which help keep the record interesting. DL (Tues., Oct. 16, Comet Tavern)

*King Dude, Burning Daylight

(10/16, Dais Records, daisrecords.com)

In his old thrash- and black-metal bands Teen Cthulhu and Book of Black Earth, singer/guitarist (and Actual Pain clothier) TJ Cowgill affected an unnatural, strangulated shriek—sometimes even for his between-song banter. As King Dude, a black-clad death-country crooner in the style of an exhumed and ghoulish Johnny Cash, Cowgill stretches his voice to an equally unnatural though aesthetically opposite end: a low, bellowing moan that grinds down to a croak at its slowest crawl. Paired with acoustic guitar alternately cleanly recorded and decimated by reverb and noise, it makes for a convincingly spooky presence. ERIC GRANDY (Wed., Oct. 24, Chop Suey)

*Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, The Heist

(10/9, self-released, macklemore.com)

Doused in personal disclosure and weighty subject matter, The Heist is aimed at forcing its listeners to more closely examine their lives and the world around them, and in that it succeeds. The album's lyrics feel as much like a conversation about the sad or goofy specifics of life as they do rap proper; different songs find Macklemore drifting from inspirational speaker to class clown as that conversation shifts moods. Musically, the album bulges with Lewis' elaborate compositions, which are thoughtful but (with several exceptions) mostly recapitulate the album's exhausting length and slow pace. The good songs hold up for the duration, but others could stand to be truncated or omitted altogether: "Can't Hold Us" and "Gold," for example, are terribly disposable pop songs, and "Wings," while lyrically powerful, is lengthy and overblown in its presentation. On the flip side, you probably won't hear more moving songs all year than the absolutely beautiful "Starting Over" and "Same Love." As a whole, The Heist is a (sometimes too) dramatic feature with striking moments of clarity; its main fault is that it sets out to accomplish too much. TODD HAMM (Fri., Oct. 12, WaMu Theater)

Magnetic Circus, We Die in Fire (10/10, self-released, magneticcircus.bandcamp.com): It's obvious Magnetic Circus can rock. However, somewhere in this album's fusion of heavy rock, lo-fi recording, and ambient sounds is a strong disconnect in the timing, tone, and delivery. JW (Wed., Oct. 10, High Dive)

*The Maldives, Muscle for the Wing (10/16, Spark & Shine, sparkandshine.com): It's tempting to accuse Maldives lyricist Jason Dodson of being a cornpone poser until you consider that The Band, with the exception of Levon Helm, hailed from Canada. Fittingly, Muscle for the Wing solidifies the Maldives' position as The Band's heir apparent. Their hallmark dueling guitars and multipart harmonies still emerge with regularity, but never has Dodson's pure, pretty voice been featured so adroitly. If this is posing, then it's runway-caliber stuff. MS (Tues., Oct. 16, Queen Anne Easy Street Records)

*Eric Miller, City Lights (out now, self-released, ericmillerband.com): In the 12 songs on City Lights, Eric Miller engages in approximately 12 different styles of music. A pop chameleon in the best sense of the word, he sounds as though Loudon Wainwright III accompanied Robyn Hitchcock to a bar where the Traveling Wilburys and Chet Baker happened to be hanging out. MS

*Mts. & Tunnels, Mts + Tunnels (out now, self-released, mtstunnels.bandcamp.com): This debut album is cozy, old-school garage rock filled with bluesy guitar riffs punctuated by vintage horns. At times the local group has a classic Northwest folk-rock sound, made more apparent on tracks like "Something in the Light," where the complementary vocals are reminiscent of The Head and the Heart's harmonies. SARAH ELSON

Murder Party, The Vue (out now, self-released, reverbnation.com/murderparty): Like a less-quirky B-52s without Fred Schneider and with fewer dancy bits, Murder Party have the Eastside on the brain. This EP's title is a reference to Bellevue with "your SUV and your sense of entitlement," while "545" describes a ride on a Seattle-to-Redmond SoundTransit bus line that is apparently packed with passengers into self-help books and fantasy novels. DL

Police Teeth, Police Teeth (10/16, Latest Flame, policeteeth.bandcamp.com): Although the propulsive punk on this trio's fourth album is a bit one-note, it has hints of bands as disparate as Fugazi and Hüsker Dü, and the big, jagged guitar riffs never hamper the songs' incisive energy. AG (Fri., Nov. 11, Sunset Tavern)

Red Jacket Mine, "Amy" b/w "Any Major Dude Will Tell You" (10/16, Fin Records, redjacketmine.net): The latest single from this power-pop band, "Amy" is full of breezy pop melodies and plenty of doo-wops that will have you humming for days. On the flip side, it's all smooth soul. SE (Sun., Oct. 14, Locöl Barley & Vine)

Red Sea, Planets Align (out now, self-released, redseaband.com): Red Sea is a classic bar band: They play well, their songs are decent, but they're not at all contemporary. That's not necessarily a bad thing if you're into classic rock like Pink Floyd, whose influence looms large over "Something Else." DL (Sat., Nov. 17, Fuel)

*Smokey Brights, No Sheer Force of Will (10/12, self-released, soundcloud.com/smokey-brights): The hardest-working side project in Seattle continues their roll with a new 45 that sees their '70s-AM-radio-meets-indie-folk sound become even more refined with the addition of lady harmonies and power-pop prowess. MDL (Fri., Oct. 12, High Dive)

Sundries, "I Found Perfection" (out now, self-released, sundries.bandcamp.com): The new single from this relatively new rock band features a propulsive rhythm and the powerful, pleading singing of frontwoman Sadie Ava, whose vocals have a richness and maturity that belie her 19 years. ERIN K. THOMPSON (Wed., Oct. 10, Chop Suey)

Thaddillac, Adayzndalyfalayk/One Man Trash Can Band (out now, Jewel Turner, thadillac.com): An original take on guitar-based funk from local character Thaddeus Turner. This double album is cleanly engineered and creatively arranged with traditional-style rock numbers alongside vocoder-voiced synth-funk. As always, though, his personality is his loudest instrument. TH

*Tiki Joe's Ocean, Soul of the Sea (out now, self-released, tikijoesocean.com): Multi-instrumentalist/composer Andy Nazzal has created a serene but vigorous, Latin-lounge-influenced album that's straight-up addicting. The opener, "Hotter in the Shade," is overflowing with classy piano, bongo drums, and three helpings of soul. JW

Tokyoidaho, Tokyoidaho (out now, Neon Sigh, tokyoidaho.com): On this synth-rock group's self-titled debut, the most relaxed songs are the best, like the meandering mid-album number "The Ballard of the Teenage Shut-In" and the album closer "Deep Cushions"—an ambitious space-rock track even if it doesn't quite earn its 10-minute run time. AG

Various artists, Ball of Wax 29, No Guitars (out now, self-released, ballofwax.org): In what has to be curator Levi Fuller's most controversial compilation to date, BOW 29 features keyboards, winds, banjos, mandolas, percussion, voices and more, but not a single axe, acoustic, electric, or bass: Fuller dares to go guitarless in the city Kurt and Jimi built. MDL

We Say Bang!, Ignite (out now, self-released, myspace.com/wesaybang): Trading traditional studio recording for a DIY project recorded in the lead singer's basement using shoddy software, Ignite features sporadic bursts of bright crash, fast snare rolls, and distorted guitar that beg to be seen live. JW

Wickerbird, The Crow Mother (out now, self-released, wickerbird.bandcamp.com): With a crackling sound quality, this debut album from NYC-by-way-of-Puyallup's Wickerbird is an oddly soothing collection of indie-rock lullabies full of hushed harmonies and ambient fuzz. GE

Wiscon, Wiscon (out now, self-released, reverbnation.com/wiscon): This female-fronted band plays a strain of dark new wave that's powered by vintage synths and driving bass lines. With no guitar player, there's lots of room for the songs to breathe, which is simultaneously a strength and weakness. DL (Thurs., Oct. 18, Funhouse)

*Black Marble, A Different Arrangement (10/9, Hardly Art, blackmarblenyc.com): This Brooklyn coldwave duo doesn't radically alter its sound for its debut full-length, following the Weight Against the Door EP from earlier this year. Drum-machine beats drive spare guitar and synth melodies, the vocals drip with melancholy, and everything has the mournfully spare sense of space of New Order's earliest post-Curtis recordings. EG

Jeremy Camp, Christmas: God With Us (out now, BEC, jeremycamp.com): It's never too soon to get in the holiday spirit. Camp puts an upbeat, modern twist on classics like "Jingle Bell Rock," though his voice shines best on the less-poppy songs, like "O Come O Come Emmanuel." JW

The Glorious Unseen, Lovesick (10/9, BEC, facebook.com/thegloriousunseen): After raising $21,000 via Kickstarter, vocalist Ben Crist turned inward for an album that varies drastically from the indie-rock vibe of "Brand New" to the soft strum of "Can a Nation Be Changed?" JW

Hyland, Finding Our Way (10/9, Tooth & Nail, hylandofficial.com): Hyland melds the instrumentation and upbeat vibe of Mutemath with the faith-based pop-rock feel of Anberlin. "Beauty in the Broken" is supported by a powerful bass drum and a soaring chorus by vocalist Jon Lewis. JW

Bebo Norman, Lights of Distant Cities (10/22, BEC, bebonorman.com): This singer/songwriter captures a personal religious journey in 11 rich, beautifully written songs. The standout, "Collide," begins with a soft acoustic-guitar intro that crescendos into a mammoth song of devotion. JW

*Peace, The World Is Too Much With Us (10/16, Suicide Squeeze, peacevancouver.bandcamp.com): Three cheers for Vancouver, B.C.'s Peace for this Wordsworth-inspired album title and especially its cover: The band's mustachioed, suit-clad guitarist sits on a footbridge over a stream holding a half-eaten banana. The artwork's juxtapositions are similar to the band's sound, which mixes melancholy post-punk progressions with the uniquely half-sung melodies of singer Dan Geddes. DL (Fri., Oct. 12, Hollow Earth Radio)

*Total Control, "Scene From a Marriage" b/w "Contract" (10/9, Sub Pop, subpop.com): The new single from these Australian post-punk howlers doesn't have the hooks of last year's killer "Carpet Rash," but the deadpan drag of its guitars, drums, and wounded vocals aptly evokes the grueling slog of an unraveling marriage. (Ingmar Bergman would be proud). The B-side is a crisp, synth-blipping electro dub version. EG